2016
The 2016 season featured large cannons that could be triggered to launch foam balls across the arena, which must be scored in a central rotating bin. This bin was inside a walled off area that could only be accessed through doors which proved quite difficult to open. Inside this closed off area were also golf ball dispensers, which could be activated by turning a knob to release the balls. Outside the arena were boxes that these could also be scored in. Valpo Robotics submitted 4 robots this year, and took home 3rd place and the Most Innovative Design Award!
The Teams
Team Sassy (Door Breaker)
Pictured: Ellie Nead, Kati Williams, Danielle Desmond, Chris Moss, Joseph Walden, Sadie Newholm, Kelsey Unser
Team Ernie (3rd Place)
Pictured: Michael Donovan, Eugene Jegal, Ryan Taylor, Erin Kerr, Matt Bull
Team Crusader (The Bro Team)
Pictured: Scott Brown, Tim Angeliu, Ethan Banducci, Steven Byers, Brian Wall, Julia Jenks, Isaac Maze
Team Wheezy (Most Innovative Design Award)
Pictured: Adam Morrison, Ian Leborious, Scott Schindehette, Jesse Greenhagen, Chase Greenhagen
Names in italics are Eboard Members. Not pictured are Maddie Horton, and Aaron Roggow.
The Robotics
Wheezy
Once overheard being compared to a cross between a conveyor belt and a rube goldberg machine, Wheezy is a whimsical mess of engineering! This robot is full of never before seen features, including a mecanum drivetrain, a passive elevator entrapment, and the classic pvc wheel cannon! The elevator is constructed with chain and blue pvc piping, which keep the chain tight against the wheels driving it.
Ernie
The epitomy of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!), Ernie showed the eligance of robotic engineering – that one can use a simple design that is both effective, and looks pretty wicked awesome in the process! Ernie proved to be one of the fastest robots in the competition at collecting golf balls, which helped secure his 3rd place. This robot has been clocked at over 12 mph, and has survived many flips on concrete while doing so!
Sassy
Sasquatch, or Sassy for short, is our scariest hunk of metal. Running our biggest motors, this robot is primed for MRDC’s demolition round! Armed to the teeth with twin fork lift tines of death and mayhem, Sassy took down our rival from previous season, Goliath! This was no David – we set fire to the course! It is also rumored that Sassy may be responsible for the absence of some doors somewhere in Gellersen… but who’s to say.
Crusader
Crusader is the new kid on the block! Fresh off the drawing board, Crusader features a 6 wheeled drivetrain, giving it better stability on ramps scattered around the course. Crusader has been compared to a game of mousetrap, featuring every appendage needed to score every possible point in the game! Also called “The Castle”, Crusader is our tallest robot, coming in at just under 3 feet, the regulation limit!
